First of all, Hope you all had a great Christmas!
Full of festive cheer, I made my way down to the concrete city, on a suitably grey, wet and miserable boxing day.
Upon hearing the team lineup, I was a little disappointed that Bowerman yet again found himself on the bench, after the impact he had on the weekend. But understandably, Dean Smith opted to stay with a winning side.
I arrived in Milton Keynes, feeling rather upbeat, and thought we could actually get something out of this Boxing Day tie. But at the time I felt it was just the festive spirit and reminiscing about last Boxing Day's stoppage time theatricals, that was getting to my head!
I came crashing back down to earth, with just 5 minutes on the clock, when Ryan Lowe easily found space for a free header inside the box and headed past McCarey to make it 1-0.
The Saddler's somehow managed to find an equaliser, when Craig Westcarr found Febian Brandy on the edge of the box who somehow managed to weave his way passed MK veteran Dean Lewington, and fire home a sweet strike.
It wasn't a particularly exciting encounter, with both sides looking shaky at the back.
It was the Saddler's who managed to take advantage of the defensive flaws, and make it 2-1. Will Grigg cooly controlled Westcarr's ball, before beating his man with ease after cleverly cutting inside, then finishing with beautifully accurate strike passed David Martin in the Don's Goal.
The goal itself was reminiscent of Grigg's winning strike at Stadium:MK in the fixture at the end of last season.
Walsall didn't manage to stay in front for long though, as we again fell victim again to some sloppy defending. Lowe's cut back found Dean Bowditch inside the box, who wasn't closed down quick enough by his marker (Butler), and managed to poke the ball just beyond the reach of the outstretched McCarey, to make it 2-2 within half hour of the kickoff.
Adam Chambers looked to get himself into more dangerous positions than he his perhaps used to, and it nearly paid off when his powerful shot was deflected just wide.
As the first half was drawing to a close, it was looking more likely that Walsall would take the lead. Grigg was looking like a different player, perhaps we should feed him Turkey and sprouts before every game! His partnership with Brandy seems to be getting stronger with every game.
The formidable duo were causing problems for the Don's defence, and they were rewarded two minutes before the interval. Brandy latched on to a loose ball, found Grigg who's fantastic turn left him able to tuck home his second of the game, and restore the Saddler's lead.
The Saddler's fans headed for the large concourse area at half time, wondering how the half had ended with 5 goals being scored!
H/T: Milton Keynes Dons 2 Walsall 3
A steward had warned us of the imminent substitution who was warming up on the pitch during the interval. Patrick Bamford, a loanee from Chelsea, who had apparently ran rings around Colchester before getting injured.
The game kicked back off, with The Dons looking spurred on by the half time team talk. Dean Lewington came close, with his header flashing just wide.
Although looking slightly more fired up, The Don's didn't really get to grips with the game. The closest they come in the second half was when Bamford's deflected strike looked to clipped the post, apart from that we didn't really look particularly threatened.
With MK's half time boost running out, The Saddler's looked to spend a little bit more time on the ball. We were passing it around well, until the ball found Andy Butler, who on a number of occasions decided to concede possession by hoofing the ball up in to no-mans's land.
Flo Cuvelier replaced Craig Westcarr with around 20 minutes remaining, and provided us with what we all know he his capable of. His brilliant movement off the ball coupled with the future Stoke City star's attacking prowess, will make him a target for any team in this league if not the Championship. So it's important that we get him tied down for the second half of the season.
Grigg was denied his Hat-Trick when a rare header of his came crashing back off the crossbar.
There was a few stoppages for injuries, notably to Bamford, who was forced to limp off, after being clattered by the Saddler's captain who was duly booked for his offence.
Sam Mantom came close to doubling the Saddler's lead when his low effort creeped just wide of the 'keepers right.
Being a Walsall fan, and having conceded the amount of late goals that we have this season, there was a slight air of panic in the away end when the fourth official announced 5 added minutes. But any doubt was put to bed when a short free kick out on the wing wasn't dealt with by the Don's defence and Patterson's strike made it 4-2 and secured all three points for us.
Great back-to-back wins for the Saddler's who now find themselves with only one defeat in seven games, which sounds a lot better than the 16-odd games we went without a win!
I've criticised Grigg pretty much all season, but today he showed us what he can do. I'll be more than happy for Grigg to prove me wrong and make me look completely stupid - so hopefully he'll be able to build on this performance.
Although technically my Man of the Match award has to Brandy yet again, purely because his acrobatic celebration was fantastic!
I said after the Sheffield Wednesday game last boxing day. These kind of games are the reasons why we support the Saddlers. We may have our share of bad day's at the office, but when we win like we did today, it makes it all worth while. That 5-1 defeat in our last away game now seems like a distance memory (nightmare!).
Here's to finishing 2012 with a bang at Leyton Orient on Saturday!
RESULT: MK Dons 2 (Lowe 6' Bowditch 31') Walsall 4 (Brandy 15' Grigg 25' & 43' Paterson 90+2)
ATTENDANCE: 8,700
REFEREE: Stuart Attwell
By: Berian Lowe